Carbonate Rock Chemical Consolidation Methods: Advancement and Applications

Chemical consolidation of rocks is a common practice in the petroleum industry. Usually, this technique is applied to sustain production from unconsolidated or weak sandstone formations and to avoid collapse from aging wells. Recent research has shown the significance of rock hardness in sustaining long-term conductivity of hydraulic fractures in carbonate formations. There are some notable attempts to adapt the techniques used in the cultural heritage industry for strengthening carbonate formations. Moreover, a novel carbonate rock strengthening methodology was developed that involves the mineral transformation of calcite to harder minerals. This work describes the existing techniques for carbonate rock consolidation and provides extensive research on chemicals that are (or can be) used as carbonate rock strengthening agents. Furthermore, this review provides the reaction mechanisms associated with a range of proposed chemicals. Also, laboratory methods that can be used to assess post-treatment hardness and investigate the changes in rock mineralogy are summarized. Finally, the review discusses chemicals with the prospect of their application in petroleum field operations.